Gap Factory was announced for September and was listed as "Now Open" on the Desert Ridge Marketplace directory by October 6. Globe in the Dark, a cocktail lounge, was also supposed to open in September. Eight days into October, its listing still says "Coming Soon."
Those two storefronts on the same Tatum Boulevard center show this year's pattern. The clothing stores have mostly opened on time. The restaurants have run late, some by a few weeks and some by more than half a year. If you live nearby and want to know when you can actually eat somewhere, the most reliable signal is the Marketplace's own "Now Open" label. A press release date is only a target.
The restaurants that made it, and how late they were
The current wave of dining announcements started in October 2025, when Phoenix New Times listed four restaurants coming to Desert Ridge. A year later, it's possible to compare each one's promised date with what happened.
| Restaurant | Target in October 2025 | Status as of October 8, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Kajiken | By the end of 2025 | Open; an August 2026 report says it opened "at the beginning of this year" |
| NADU Regional Indian | February 2026 | Opened in late June or July 2026 |
| Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse | Summer 2026 | Now targeting early 2027 |
| Globe in the Dark | January 2026, per its city liquor-license file | Targeted September 2026, still "Coming Soon" |
Kajiken appears to have missed its date by the shortest margin of the group. The restaurant comes from Nagoya, Japan, and is known for abura soba, a soupless ramen served as customizable bowls of thick noodles with house sauces. The menu also includes donburi and ramen. The Desert Ridge restaurant is the brand's first in Arizona, in a 1,700-square-foot space.
NADU was about four months behind its February target. Phoenix New Times dates the opening to late June, and the Glendale Star places it in July. It is now open at 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 40-1360, between Marino's Italian Kitchen & Bar and Jin Jia.
NADU explains why some of these openings are worth waiting for. The team behind Chandler's Feringhee Modern Indian Restaurant brought it to the Valley. The chef is Sujan Sarkar, who opened the first NADU in Chicago in April 2025, and that location quickly earned a place in the city's Michelin Guide. Sarkar's other Chicago restaurant, Indienne, holds one Michelin star. The Phoenix location was announced at more than 4,000 square feet as a combined restaurant and lounge. Its menu focuses on India's regional cooking traditions. A dining room that took that long to build is likely to be a carefully finished one, and NADU has already made the Phoenix New Times list of the city's 50 best restaurants.
The two that are still behind schedule
Globe in the Dark has the longest record of moved dates on the property. A City of Phoenix liquor-license record filed during the remodel listed plans to open in January 2026. At the end of August, KTAR reported that it was expected in September. The Marketplace listing and the lounge's own website both still say "Coming Soon."
When it does open, it will be at Suite 34-1150. Its website describes a travel-themed lounge with food from around the world, handcrafted cocktails, décor drawn from different cultures and themed seating areas. The license application describes the menu as small plates and global entrées. Phoenix New Times described it as an after-hours cocktail lounge. The website's "Our Story" page still lists both the owner and the executive chef as "TBA." A concept that hasn't yet named its executive chef in public may still be some time away from its first service.
Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse is a Florida-born churrasco restaurant. It will take a 7,669-square-foot space and will be the brand's first in Arizona. A meal there starts at stations with charcuterie, salads, soups and pork belly feijoada. Servers then come to the table to carve chicken, lamb and steak. The opening was originally set for summer 2026. In late August, InBusiness and KTAR both moved it to early 2027, while the Glendale Star put it in spring 2027. The sources agree on 2027 but not on the season, so a reasonable expectation is sometime in the first half of the year.
Why the clothing stores keep closer to schedule
The retail side of the Marketplace has a different record. In late August, the center announced three national retailers that together add more than 30,000 square feet. One of them has already opened.
- Gap Factory was announced for September in a storefront of about 8,500 square feet and was marked "Now Open" by October 6. It carries clothing for men, women, kids and babies.
- Ann Taylor Factory is planned for November in a space of about 5,000 square feet. When WhatNow Phoenix reported it on September 3, the exact day and suite had not been announced.
- Sierra, the off-price outdoor, fitness and lifestyle retailer formerly called Sierra Trading Post, is scheduled for spring 2027 in a 20,000-square-foot space. It sells apparel, footwear, gear and home goods.
National apparel chains open stores using a standard build-out and a corporate opening calendar. A chef-driven restaurant needs a custom kitchen, a liquor license and a full staff before it can serve anyone. Globe's license record alone shows how far an early plan can sit from the actual opening. On this evidence, a November date for Ann Taylor Factory is more dependable than any date currently attached to a restaurant here.
Trader Joe's and the former Joann space
The opening nearby residents have asked about most has the least information attached to it. In June, AZFamily reported that construction was underway on a Trader Joe's at Desert Ridge Marketplace near Loop 101 and Tatum Boulevard. The store is going into the former Joann Fabric and Craft location, and no opening date has been announced. The Marketplace directory still lists it as "Coming Soon." A local report from the Foothills Focus puts the store at about 15,000 square feet in a portion of the old Joann space.
The second Trader Joe's in the same AZFamily report has a firmer schedule. A store at the Arcadia Crossing shopping center near 44th Street and Thomas Road is expected in December 2026. Desert Ridge has no posted date. For now, the existing Phoenix stores in that report are in Ahwatukee, at Paradise Valley Marketplace and in the Biltmore area.
The Glendale Star reports that Sierra will occupy the 20,000-square-foot space that previously housed Joann. Reading that alongside the Trader Joe's reports, the former Joann building may be split between the grocer and the outdoor retailer. None of the published sources confirms that, though. A split would explain why neither tenant has a firm date, since dividing a large former anchor store into two businesses means two build-outs.
The one date that won't move
The fixed date in the area this season is a resort event across Tatum. Jingle at JW at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge runs from November 18, 2026, through January 3, 2027. This year it adds "ice!", an Elf-themed attraction built from ice sculptures, alongside its other holiday activities. The Marketplace's homepage calls this the attraction's Phoenix debut.
That gives the next few months a likely order. Gap Factory is already open. Ann Taylor Factory should follow in November, and Jingle at JW opens November 18. Globe in the Dark could open any week, though its record so far gives little reason to count on a specific date. Terra Gaucha and Sierra are both expected in 2027. Trader Joe's will arrive when the Marketplace changes its listing to "Now Open." You can check the current status of every storefront on the Desert Ridge Marketplace directory.
If you own near Tatum and the 101 and want to know how this year's changes at the Marketplace could affect your property's value or a future sale, Nick Steffes follows these openings closely and can show you how they factor into local pricing. Let's Connect.
